Arco Iris: Cambridge Community Samba Band www.arcoiris.org.uk

Bem Vindo!
Arco Iris: Cambridge Community Samba Band
www.arcoiris.org.uk
Hello and welcome to Arco Iris! We are Cambridge's first and only community based samba
band and have been playing samba rhythms in the city since 1993.
We have an active membership of around 60
Sambistas. New members are welcome (over
18s only) - if you can count to four and tap
your feet, you're already on your way to
playing samba! Our regular Wednesday night
workshop and practice takes place at the Bath
House, corner of Mill Road and Gwydir Street
(CB1 2LW), 7.30 9.30pm. The first week is
free; after that weekly subs are £2 (waged),
£1 (unwaged). Help yourself to whatever
drum takes your fancy – ear plugs (you'll need
them!) are free too.
Each tune is led by a leader - the person standing
in the middle of the room waving their arms around
and blowing a whistle. It's their job to keep the
band playing in time and to introduce breaks and
changes in the rhythm. After a few weeks you'll
start to recognise these hand movements and what
they stand for but meantime, don't be afraid to
ask. If you like what you see and hear, you can
become a band member for £6 a year (£3
unwaged), but it’s not essential. By becoming a
band member you get to vote at the band’s AGM,
qualify for various discounts when we stay/play
away from Cambridge and you get to borrow the instruments.
In addition to Wednesday night practice, we play a lot of gigs. Most of these take place in
and around Cambridge and include charity events, college balls, weddings, fêtes and
carnivals. For larger events popular with the band we get the full bateria out - Arco Iris
opens Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common in Cambridge each June, making a big
sound with between 60 and 70 sambistas. Further a field, we’ve attended international
samba festivals in Paris, Ireland and across the UK.
Arco Iris is managed by a committee drawn from
the band membership. An AGM is held in November
each year to review the past year, pass any new
resolutions and elect a new committee. The band
website, where you can see the gig calendar and
read news about the band, is www.arcoiris.org.uk.
We've also got examples of the songs we play with
score sheets useful for learning them and leading
the band.
That's probably as much as you need to know right
now to get you started. Contact a committee
member or alternatively, visit www.arcoiris.org.uk
or use the email [email protected] to get in
touch.
Happy Drumming!
Arco Iris